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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 119 son to JoBephine, and there is much good arable land along Applegate, Slate and other tributaries of the main stream. The greater portion of arable land lies along the Illinois River and its tributaries, such as Door, Sucker, Althouse and other creeks. The tillable land is very rich, and produces excellent crops of grain, corn, fiuit and potatoes. In nearly all other respects Josoph ine resembles Jackson, and is probably capable of dupli cating the products of its neighbor so far as quality is concerned. Farms are offered for sale in Illinois Valley at about half the prioe asked in Rogue River Valloy, and Government land is to be had there by those socking loca tions. The greater portion of the county the moun tainous regions is unsurveyed. Kirbyvillo, the county seat, lies on Illinois River. The 0. & 0. road traverses the northeast corner of the county. The chiof town on the line is Grant's Pass, recently annexed from Jackson. Other points in the county are Waldo, Althouse, Murphy, Slate Creek, Lucky Queen and Wolf Creole Josephine has always been a mining oounty, and nearly every strewn has yielded its Btore of gold. Placer mining in some places by hydraulio process is still oarried on exton. sively, and is the leading industry of that region. Good but undeveloped quartz ledges exist Eastern Oregon, The region embraced undor the general titlo of East ern Oregon includes that portion of the Stato lying east of the Cascade Mountains, embraomg about two-thirds it entire area. It is by no means as populous as the oldor Bottled portion west of the mountains, and is divided into counties of gigantio proportions, some of them largnr than certain States on the Atlantic Slope. In many re spects that region differs radically from the regions described above, as fully appoars in the accompanying remarks on climate, agriculture, stock raising, etc Wheat, wool, cattle and gold are the leading products, stock rais ing, except in the northern portion, being the one great leading industry. The settlements are newer, and groator progress has been made the last five years, than in any other portion. In that region are to be found the only open, untimbored prairie and valley land now subject to location under the land laws, and it will be a matter of a few years only when even this will be all seized upon by the numerous immigrants annually seeking locations. The special features of each section are notod in the fol lowing detailed description by counties. WAHCO COUNTY. The oounty of Wasco lies on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, the Columbia Rivor forming it northern boundary. The surface of the western half of the oonntv is verv broken and mountainous, though small valleys and plateaus abound; the eastern half consist chiefly of a broad sweep of table land and praino. in uie oonntv are the celebrated Mount Uood, whose snowy crest receives so much admiration from travelors, and the Warm Hnrinmi Indian Reservation. Dos Chutes am Hood rivers, with numerous smaller streams flowing into them or the Columbia, furnish plonty of running water. Tho mountain am' oovuied to their tops with a donsa growth of timber a source of woalth as yot scarcely wuciiou. uutu recently Wasoo lias boon looked upon as an exoollent stock region and nothing more; but it has gradually become known that it contains more than 1,000,000 acres of as fine grain land as can bo found in the Wnst Thousands of acros have boon takon, and tliore yot romain thousands lying vacant and at the din powil of any one who may desire them. The climate is neither exoossivoly oold in winter nor too changeable in summer. The whiter is short and oattlo rango out the entiro sooson. Alwut 13,000 cattle and 175,000 Bhoop are grazed on tho bunoh grass lulls. In Btimmor there is little rain, but the moist winds from the oaoan supply all that' vogotation requires. By reason of those winds a failure of crops 18 rondorod imixwsiblo, exporionoo show ing that Biioh has novor boon the case during the thirty yours the oounty hns boon settled. Apples, pours, poaches, plums, cherries, apricots and berries, equal in beauty and flavor to any on tho Coast, are raised in certain localities, and vogotablos are very superior, melons, Mtutoo, corn, tomatoes, peas, oto., being ready for market two weeks earlier than in the Willamette Valloy. The largest body of agricultural land is botwoen tho Dos Chutes and John Day rivers, and is an extensive bunch grass region knowu as "John Day Prairie." Until' throo yours ago it was used as a stock rango by cattlo men, who did not think it nooossary or profitable to secure title to it, and for yours thousands of oattlo fattened on the nutritious bunch grass that grew luxuriantly to the height of twonty inches when not eateu off. In 1880 a few Bottlers attempted to culti vate fields, and woro surprised to find the soil highly pro ductive. The result was that many settlement havo Umn mudo during tho post four years. Wheat, barley, cmU, corn, potatoes and vegetables produce abundantly. Un improved land in spceiul localities has sold as high as $8 por acre, and school houses, churches and stores are springing up where towns will, beyond doubt, soon ap jiear. The aroa of the prairie is oquul to that of the Stato of New Jorsoy, and tliore is abundant room for thou sands. Immigrant have thronged past this fertile prsi rie and traveled many miles to settle upon laud far loss desirable, and in a region whoso climate is less agreeable and whose surrounding are far from being as attractive. Dalles City, the oounty sost, is a thriving business place, with several manufacturing industries and impu tation of nearly 8,000. It is situated on the Columbia, just below the rapids known as Tho Dalles, and was for years the point where all freight going up or down the rivor was handled in making a jiortago around that great barrior to navigation. The main lino of tho O. II k N. Company running up the river passes through the city. The company has extensive round houses and machine and car bIiojn here. The city is a trading point for Wasco, and for Skamania and Klickitat oomitios across the Columbia. Hood River is a small town and railroad station in Hood River Valloy, a noted agricultural and fruit section. Other towns on the railroad are Cascade